On 22 Aug, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal appealed to Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to intervene in the release of two Saroops (tome) of Guru Granth Sahib in police custody in Qatar for the past eight months. In her letter to the minister, Badal said the Saroops had been seized despite their prakash (ceremoniously installed and open for enlightenment) at two separate locations in Doha for nearly 35 years. She urged Jaishankar to push for Gurdwaras in Qatar, allowing Sikhs to practice freely, as in the United Arab Emirates and other Islamic countries. The ministry responded saying they are in touch with Qatari authorities and one Saroop has been returned. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has thanked the govt. of India. It is yet to be seen if Sikhs are allowed to practice freely in Qatar. In another case in Mumbai on 15 Aug, three men who were traveling on invalid tickets assaulted a Sikh Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) Jasbir Singh. Singh asked them to pay the fine or get off at the next station, instead they attacked him. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) intervened to save Singh who suffered minor injuries. Though this was an attack in the line of duty, the SGPC and various Sikh bodies raised their voice. Once the assailants apologized both at the railway station and at the Gurdwara in Mulund suburb, Singh decided to pardon them and not press charges.
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